UCU has released a timeline poster outlining what happened to victims of the Nazis. It begins:
“Why we mark Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 January…
As educators UCU members recognise our unique responsibility to tell the truth about our past to ensure the lessons are learnt for our future. The millions who died at the hands of the Nazis and their allies during the Holocaust must be remembered not just as the victims of an unparalleled man-made tragedy – but also as a warning that we must never
allow it to happen again. We must continue to educate our children against the dangers of anti-Semitism, fascism
and racial discrimination. Encouraging them – and us – to take a stand against hatred and intolerance wherever they
find it is the best way to ensure a just, democratic and tolerant society where all can live free from fear.
Sally Hunt, UCU General Secretary”
UCU is interpreting commemoration of the Holocaust as the need to educate about the events of Nazi antisemitism in Europe between 1933 and 1945. This is welcome and keeps good faith with trade union anti-fascist tradition. Here’s a link to the poster [pdf], which you can order in hard copy from akhan@ucu.org.uk. But, so far, the way UCU chooses to think about the Holocaust in relation to its own activities hasn’t been sufficient to keep it free of other forms of antisemitism.
Engage 
April 17, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Sally Hunt: “We must continue to educate our children against the dangers of anti-Semitism, fascism
and racial discrimination. Encouraging them – and us – to take a stand against hatred and intolerance wherever they
find it is the best way to ensure a just, democratic and tolerant society where all can live free from fear.”
Noble sentiments indeed. Pity they can’t see the irony in the policies the Executive pursues with regard to the Middle East, let alone its attitude towards those within the union who dare to question this stance.
But then the blinkered (sorry, ideologically committed to equality and human rights, just providing they aren’t Jewish Israelis or those who supoport their right to exist in peace and security) will never see the mote in their own eye, by definition.
And, yes, I’m ideological too, but my ideology is an open one, that permits uncomfortable truths, such as that the Isreali government makes mistakes, there shouldn’t be settlements on the West Bank, but Israel still has a right to peace and security, as do the Palestinians.
Not that the current UCU Executive will recognise as an allowable view in their weltaunschaung.